Only six per cent of housebuilders believe the key target of 200,000 new homes built in Britain every year is actually deliverable, a survey suggests.

The majority of housebuilders believe construction of new homes will rise over the next year by more than 10 per cent, with more than a quarter expecting an uplift of more than 25 per cent in start volumes, according to Knight Frank’s Building Momentum report.

However, the majority of housebuilders believe that 200,000 new homes a year is unachievable under current market conditions. Only 30 per cent believe as many as 180,000 is possible and only six per cent say exceeding 200,000 on a regular annual basis will be realistic.

Building slump: The number of houses being built has fallen dramatically in recent years

It comes as the number of new properties built each year has slumped since the financial crisis, as outlined in the chart above, with far fewer homes arriving compared to the 1970s, 80s, 90s and start of the 2000s.

The almost complete disappearance of new local authority homes - the blue bars in the chart - are a major contributing factor to that, but private enterprise homes, those built by developers for sale on the open market are also running substantially below the long-run average.

The biggest challenges to new builds is rising costs, planning systems and local opposition to developments, according to the report.

High house prices have driven up residential land values substantially since 2000 and despite a dip after the 2007 property boom peak, land costs remain a major barrier to new development.

The 200,000 target of new homes has been outlined in a variety of reports by Labour and Liberal Democrat, and also the House Builders Federation in recent months.

The survey also flags the sector’s reliance on the Help to Buy scheme as it continues to support housebuilding figures.

The extension of the scheme will lift development volumes between now and 2020, more than 75 per cent of respondents say, while more than 40 per cent believe that it will increase the size of schemes undertaken.

Biggest hurdles: Housebuilders cite planning laws and local opposition as the toughest challenges in the coming year

Grainne Gilmore, head of UK research at Knight Frank, said: ‘The question of whether it is feasible for housebuilders to plug the housing hole left by the relative lack of government investment remains a primary concern.

‘There is no doubt that developers have stepped up activity since the zenith of the financial crisis - official data shows completions in England rose 4.5 per cent over the last year. But this still leaves development some way off the levels needed to meet demand across the UK.’

On the up: How policy interventions have hit the property market in recent years

The broader recovery in Britain is now reflected in the fact that there is an expectation of a countrywide uplift in activity over the next 12 months.

The Knight Frank survey shows housebuilders and developers active in Wales, Scotland and the North East expecting some of the biggest rises, albeit from a low base.

The number of planning permissions for residential units rose most strongly in the Midlands last year.

It comes as the lack of housing supply to meet the demand for new build and existing homes is putting pressure on property prices.

This housing shortfall has been highlighted by Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, while George Osborne announced a new garden city in the Kent town of Ebbsfleet in the March Budget.

Property prices have risen by 5.6 per cent in England and Wales in the last year to March according to Land Registry data. Knight Frank forecasts that average UK prices will rise a further seven per cent this year.

In Britain, 28.2 per cent of all new build sales were acquired via Help to Buy and 2.4 per cent of all sales used the scheme in the last year.

The largest proportion of homes sold under the scheme was in Derby were these figures rose to 80 per cent and four per cent respectively. Other Help to Buy hotspots were reported in Kingston upon Hull, Bradford and Gloucester.

Ms Gilmore adds: 'Consistency of housing policy is fundamental to boosting supply as well as expanding access to public sector land.

'It is likely that the confidence engendered by the Government intervening in the housing market – via the Help to Buy scheme – has had a bigger effect on prices than the scheme itself.

'Next year’s general election throws up some uncertainty about Help to Buy – Labour have not commented on their intentions around the equity loan, although they too have criticised the mortgage guarantee.

'Also, finding a suitable unwinding mechanism for the Equity Loan will be paramount in the coming years if a ‘cliff edge’ market distortion is to be avoided in six years’ time.'

Knight Frank surveyed more than 100 large, medium-size and small housebuilders dotted across Britain for the report.